Conquest for A Sinful Heart
by ItsCamCamx3
Summary: A long thought to be forgotten message blares out: "What if there was a place with all the zip of Nuka-Cola? Quench your thirst for adventure at Nu-ka-World!" "That's… not good, right?"
1. Chapter 0: A New World

This fic uses the Pip-Pad mod instead of the Pip-Boy. You may find the mod here wwwdotnexusmodsdotcom/fallout4/mods/21953/

At the beginning of each chapter, if any changes are made, there will be a changelog. The changelog will include the dates and general statements regarding what was changed. Any major changes will be notified about in following chapters. All other changes may be ignored for the most part.

* * *

A year. A whole year had passed since Avery had stumbled out of cryosleep within Vault 111. A whole year of trying to come to terms with the barren and ever-deadly world that was once his home over two hundred years ago.

From hell and back, Avery had tried his best to survive through whatever means he could. At first, it was helping anyone he could, making ties with whoever he could, all while trying to piece together the puzzle that was left behind about his missing son and dead spouse. Avery made many friends and even more enemies. Over time, Avery stopped thinking about what was truly the right thing to do and just looked to survive the next day, however that may have been.

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and eventually, it all came together. His son was a monster he would never have imagined, spewing nonsense about recreating the world by trading human life for synthetic. Avery couldn't have that, and he ended it all in one blow.

The decision hadn't been hard, despite the circumstances. But still, the whole thing read like some discounted dystopian novel that hadn't sold well. His decisions just never could settle within his mind. They never made the most logical sense either. Was any of what he had done the right thing to do?

* * *

Avery tossed and turned in his bed, looking over the wooden floor of the Home Plate and scolding himself for letting the past continue to haunt him. How many nights had it been that he let himself grow restless at the thought of his decisions? At least two months had passed since the Institute had been destroyed, but, he still couldn't sleep. The scene of his son staring at him from his bed, unable to do a thing as Avery tore down the very foundation he had built up over decades. The disgust and betrayal in his eyes as he realized that Avery's mind was already made up and the despair in his voice as he said his goodbyes. It was all still so vivid, even after all the time that had passed.

Avery grabbed the Pip-Pad from the nightstand, checking the time to find it was just past 1:00 a.m. Scanning through the various screens, Avery looked for something to distract himself from what was running through his head.

"Maybe some late night music will help calm my nerves," Avery mumbled to himself, twisting the knob forward. At first, he didn't catch the new entry on the screen as he absentmindedly scrolled to the Diamond City Radio station; it was only when he accidentally scrolled past and selected the new entry that broke Avery from his trance.

"What if there was a place with all the zip of Nuka-Cola? Quench your thirst for adventure at Nu-ka-World!" blared through the Pip-Pad's speaker. Startled, Avery frantically spun the volume wheel down. The advertisement continued on with a now hushed voice trying to portray a childish character.

"Hiya, kids! Remember, Nuka-World is only open for a few more weeks in October! Come down and see me and Cappy one last time before buckling down for the winter. Don't forget to bring your empty bottle of Nuka-Cola to get 15 dollars off at the gate! So hop aboard the Nuka-Express and come and see the whole Nuka family while you still can!

The Nuka-Express is accessible through the Nuka-World Transit Center. Parking fees will apply. Prices subject to change due to end of season. Nuka-World, Nuka-Express, and the Nuka-Cola characters are all registered trademarks of the Nuka-Cola Corporation."

"What the… Goddamn, I never thought I'd hear that stupid ad again," Avery thought. Slowly, he moved to sit up, his bare feet touching the cold, wooden floor. A fragment of his past, that forsaken corporate amusement park Nuka-World, still existed? Scratching his head, fingers tangling with the light blue-dyed curls on top, Avery turned to the map screen, scanning and trying to remember where the transit center was. "It was somewhere… over here, yeah?"

Minutes later, standing from his bed Avery began to walk to the haphazardly built dresser he had thrown together when he moved in. He marked the position he thought was the transit center, putting the Pip-Pad down atop the dresser before rummaging through the various drawers. Avery threw on the best he had right now: a red t-shirt with just one small hole, a long sleeve shirt stained only slightly with what might be blood, and a pair of faded shorts that were at one point jeans. He grabbed the boots and socks that were placed by the door, tugging them on. His messenger bag dangled from the peg on the wall, various equipment from his last expedition still stowed away inside.

"Medkit, check… Combat knife, check… A few explosives, check…" Avery listed off his supplies as he browsed through his bag. He looked at the table against the far wall that shelved his larger weapons, mentally going through what weaponry he might need. Avery didn't know exactly why he was doing all of this. There was nothing to gain from going to Nuka-World, was there? He stood there for a moment, his hand placed over a rifle he had outfitted over the year, wondering what he was doing right now. He shook his head, hard, grabbing the rifle and slinging it over his shoulder.

"I don't need a reason to do something anymore… They're not here anymore..." Avery assured himself, swallowing the past that had crept up into his throat. A year had gone by, hardships piled on top of each other almost every day since he had been out in the Commonwealth. And over that time, he had learned that following instinct was far stronger than reason in this new world. People only traded words when they couldn't trade bullets. People only shared their thoughts and reasons when they couldn't share the loot from your dead body. This world was all but nice and fair to those who wanted to reason with Death himself.

* * *

The night air of the market was cold as Avery stepped outside, the sound of the door locking echoing in the still air of the sleeping city. Shouldering his bag again, he walked towards the exit of the city, coughing loudly to get the attention of the sleeping guard at the controls. With the rumbling of the metal door rising, Avery slipped into the night, for what reason he still wasn't sure other than instinct.

Something was out there, wanting him to come and explore the past he thought had long vanished, and he intended to heed the call.

* * *

 **Author's Notes** : This is a cross-post from AO3. You can find it under the same name as this fic. All explicit chapters will be posted there due to Fanfiction's TOS. I will notify in the notes if there is an explicit chapter coming up or has been posted.


	2. Chapter 1: Games of a Deadly Variety

The sun had barely begun to perch itself in the sky by the time Avery located the Nuka-Cola transit center. It was just like he remembered: the giant bottles, the now rusty red sign with the signature writing of Nuka-Cola, and the monstrosity they called mascots, Cappy and Bottle. Avery snorted at the originality of the names and wondered how many marketing agents it took to come up with them. As Avery walked farther into the station, partially occupied debating if it was one or thirty-one agents, the sounds of voices began to fill the morning air. Dropping to a crouch, Avery moved towards the sounds, catching only some of the words of what sounded like orders.

"No one… until this place is secure! ...pick up the pace."

"Is someone else investigating the sudden signal?" Avery thought. Peeking around the corner, Avery confirmed his suspicions, counting several Gunners around the entrance of the Nuka-Express station. Although he couldn't see an assaultron, the familiar sound of its movement was present somewhere nearby. Avery dug into his messenger bag, grabbing a prototype pulse grenade he had grabbed long ago from the Institute. Sneaking closer, sticking to the destroyed buses littered across the lot, Avery spotted the assaultron stalking about. Popping the pin of the grenade, he rolled it towards the robot before breaking into a crouched sprint to get some distance between the explosion and him.

The sound of his hurried footsteps alerted the assaultron, turning to locate the noise shortly before the grenade exploded. From his spot, Avery watched as the machine loudly fell to the ground, its circuits fried from the electrical pulse. Soon after, the confused shouts of the Gunners rang out as the gunfight began. Between moving around the area, Avery took trained shots, taking down the Gunners one by one as they frantically tried to locate their opponent.

After about 15 minutes of combat, Avery stepped out from his spot and began to move towards the station entrance, picking up whatever loot he could from the Gunners' bodies along the way. As he did, he counted the bodies, ending on one less than he had originally when he discovered them. "That's… not good, right?" Avery asked himself, looking around the lot before he caught the slight movement of a stealth boy cloak.

The stealthed Gunner's rifle butt connected with Avery's jaw as he tried to raise his own, his gun falling to the ground as he was knocked down as well. Avery caught himself, however, and sprung in the general direction of the Gunner, barely catching their legs and toppling them to the ground with him. When the two hit the ground, the Gunner's rifle bounced off the pavement, unstealthing, and the Gunner grabbed at Avery. Quickly grabbing the combat knife from the sheath on the outside of his bag, Avery stabbed forward, hoping to connect with flesh. The sick sound of skin being pierced and blood spurting outwards signaled the blade had hit its mark, the stealth boy starting to fizzle out. A woman with a military-style cut came into focus, the blade submerged in her jugular, blood seeping out of the wound. She gritted her teeth and tried to raise her hand to wrap around Avery's, trying to pull the knife from her throat. In one motion, Avery twisted and yanked the knife to the left, forcefully cutting through muscle until it exited the side of the Gunner's throat, her eyes widening before rolling back as she collapsed to the ground.

Avery dropped the knife, hand reaching up to feel his jaw, noticing it had already begun to swell. He checked his teeth with his tongue, noticing the taste of iron and some loose teeth. Nothing felt broken, however, which was a relief. Picking the knife back up, he wiped it on the dead Gunner's shirt before sheathing it. Avery noticed a slip of paper peeking out between the Gunner's shirt and armor. He pulled it out and opened it, glossing over the words.

Standing up, Avery looked towards the Nuka-Express station entrance. Apparently, the group was sent to investigate whether this is where some other group had disappeared. "What lies beyond that station?" Avery said to himself questioningly. Nuka-World was definitely not just an amusement park anymore, he gathered. There had to be something more to it than that if Gunners were going missing there.

But despite his instincts blaring their alarms, Avery picked up his rifle and walked towards the entrance of the station. Inside, the station had not escaped the destruction and chaos of the bombs; trash and ruin littered the ground. Against a pile of rubble was a man holding his side, a barrel fire illuminating the room and the train's worn but decorative plating.

"Hey, what's your problem? Have you been hurt?" Avery asked, moving towards the man. The man looked up, his eyes strained but still giving Avery the look over. The man identified himself as Harvey and explained that he had escaped a group of raiders located up in Nuka-World. His family, however, had not been as lucky as he was, and he begged Avery to go and help them before they got hurt.

"Do you need medical attention before I go? You're holding your side like you're hurt, Harvey," Avery asked, beginning to grab his medkit from his bag. Harvey proclaimed his disagreement, saying that Avery shouldn't waste his time on him but to save it for his family. Avery looked in confusion before asking what was really happening. Harvey said it was the truth and Avery harshly connected his foot with Harvey's jaw.

"Tell me the truth, Harvey. You don't look or seem harmed for someone who escaped raiders, and I saw the lookover you gave me when I came in. What is going on here?" Avery questioned, his hand now grabbing Harvey's chin tightly so they were staring into each other's eyes. Harvey nervously told Avery that he was bait to get people to go to Nuka-World for some sick torture game called "The Gauntlet" the raiders had set up for entertainment. He said that even if somehow someone survived the Gauntlet, they would die because it was all rigged for them to lose.

"We'll see about that Harvey. Now get out of here. Head up north to Concord and take the road northwest until you see a settlement with a bridge leading to it. Say you were sent there by Avery and show them the rifle. They'll protect you if anyone comes looking for you." Avery said, his instructions listed off as he handed Harvey a stimpack and his rifle. Harvey looked at him in awe, before nodding his head, giving Avery the Nuka-Express terminal password, and heading out the station with one last thank you.

For a short moment, Avery hoped Harvey would make it to Sanctuary. "I really don't want to lose that rifle…" Avery said to himself as he located the control terminal, logging on and activating the power. The whirring of various machinery coming to life filled the stale air, the monorail beginning to announce its destination and to please board now.

"Let's see what you have in store for me, Nuka-World."

* * *

The Gauntlet was definitely a raider's fucked-up wet dream. The first room was a gorefest of various unsuspecting victims having been torn apart by the many turrets strategically thrown about the room. With a bit of agility and quick, and possibly lucky, decision making, Avery cleared the room with nothing more than a scratch from landing wrong. There had been a raider analyzing Avery's progress since the beginning, and he wasn't too thrilled. But, this first room's failure wasn't enough to dissuade the insults and taunts that came from over the speakers.

Then came the countless traps. Tripwires, pressure plates, grenades on the ceiling, those weird monkey robots that clang cymbals together, anything that was possible to be made into a trap was made into one. It was slow working through all the traps, but as Avery made his way through the rooms, he began to taunt back at the announcer. "Is this really all you guys could come up with? Some tripwires and grenades?"

"Don't think you're hot shit just because you can survive for now. We'll see how long that shit talking lasts when you get to the end."

"I'll hold you to that! Don't disappoint me, babe!" Avery said, his tone chastising the raider. He made his way through the traps before the Geiger counter on the Pip-Pad began to count off.

"Hope you've got some Rad-X on you! Let's see if our contestant can survive being cooked alive," the raider chirped as Avery noticed the nuclear waste barrels at the end of the hall. Digging into his medkit, Avery pulled out a bottle labeled Rad-X, unscrewed the cap and popped three pills into his mouth.

"These taste like shit, but it beats dying, I guess."

Running through the hallway into the room, Avery could feel the radiation creeping into his skin. On one side of the room was a door and on the other what looked like a turn into an alcove. Avery took to the door, realizing it was locked but there was a keyhole. Pulling a bobby pin and screwdriver from his bag, Avery unlocked the door by force, pushing it open and sprinting through. The raider said some shitty taunt while Avery stood in the adjacent room, letting a RadAway drip into his system before continuing.

"I'm getting a little bored here, ya know. When is this supposed to be fun?" Avery called out, opening the door to the next room. The announcer didn't say anything as Avery continued down some stairs, noticing right away another one of those monkey noisemakers at the far edge of the room filled with turrets. "Can you guys get any more obvious with your traps?" Avery said as he began to steady his combat knife to throw across the room. The knife hit the animatronic right in the head, dislocating it completely with a clatter. The turrets stayed idle as Avery made his way across the room, grabbing his knife and finding a key behind where the monkey sat.

The rest of the Gauntlet wasn't all that interesting. Some fragment mines here, some weak planks forming a bridge over mirelurk-infested waters, and then radroaches in a room being filled with toxic gas. Avery had to give it to them, the gas chamber was a nice touch, but they should have really thought about the amount of gas they were pumping in beforehand. As Avery had put it, it was "pretty fucking weak and I barely got high."

Past that was the "homestretch" as the announcer described it. "This is just a chain-link fence on a hallway structure and you're shooting at me," Avery shouted as he ran, avoiding bullets from the laughing raiders as best he could. "Did you run out of funds for the last part?"

It wasn't until Avery stepped into the Cola-Cars arena that he understood what Harvey had meant. Most people definitely don't know how to deal with people in power armor, especially ones hooked up to an electric grid that produces an electrostatic field around said power armor. The man in the suit of metal - Colter apparently, and Overboss at that- was hurling insult after insult at Avery from the bumper car arena.

"Here's a quick rundown of how this works. You go stock up, make yourself presentable, and then we're gonna give these folks a show. A show where I decorate these walls here with your lovely brains. Got that?" Colter yelled at Avery, smugness practically dripping from his words.

"Oh, I'll give everyone a show, alright, when we flip the script and it's your brains on the wall. And then, maybe, I'll enjoy some overpriced food and some rides here like a respectable customer of a corporate amusement park!" Avert replied back, the audience roaring with excitement from the exchange. The door next to Avery unlocked, a ramp leading down into a storage room and a connected locker room. Within, a southern-like voice came over an intercom on the wall.

"All right, listen the hell up if you want to make it out of this alive. I've only got a minute."

"Who is this?" Avery asked. The voice described how he needed to listen to them or else they weren't making it out alive.

"You want to win? I stashed a weapon in the lockers. Get it."

"Yeah, that's not vague at all, ya know? 'In the lockers' like there's only one set of lockers in a locker room," Avery grumbled as he began to search the room. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary until he came across…

"A fucking water gun? This is both the dumbest thing I've ever had to think of as a weapon and also the most genius weapon I've had the pleasure of using."

"Yeah, yeah, I know what it looks like. You're just going to have to trust me."

"Oh, I do. The water gun is to short-circuit the electrical grid, causing the power armor to just be regular power armor. Pretty smart shit for a raider." There was silence from the intercom before a slow sigh came through.

"We're not all stupid savages. Now get out there and take him out. I promise you, it'll be worth every minute spent in this Gauntlet," the voice said, " All right, it's time. I'll open the door. See you on the other side."

As Avery stood there, water gun in hand, he considered that this was not at all what he expected when he got here. Here he was, about to literally go fight a raider boss with a water gun. Deacon was going to laugh his goddamn ass off when he heard about this, and honestly, that filled Avery with purpose.

"Time to get this guy wet, and not even inthe good way."

* * *

Colter talked a big game, but outside of the elaborate mechanical feat that was hooking up power armor to an electrical grid, he was still just a raider, still human with fleshy bits and chinks in his armor. Avery knew about this one spot between the chest plate and the arm that was just the right size for a grenade. Why did he know that? A Brotherhood Knight he slept with had had a prank played on him by a fellow Knight who shoved a dud into his armor. It led to some pretty good angry, rough sex, but that wasn't the point to be remembering right now.

After raising the water gun at Colter, he just laughed while Avery squirted him with water. The audience laughed alongside him, but it was no longer shits and giggles when the electricity to the power armor went out. Without time to react properly, Avery pushed one grenade in between Colter's plating before running behind a nearby bumper car. The explosion that followed was disgustingly satisfactory as the armor exploded from the inside, blood, metal, and gore flying through the air and landing with sickening splats and clanks. Some of the audience erupted into roars while some yelled in confusion and disbelief. A water gun and a grenade were all it took to fell Colter, the undefeated champion of Cola-Cars Arena.

"Colter's dead, we got a new Overboss," the same voice from the intercom declared over the speaker system.

"A new what now?"

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Chapter 2: Abnormal Formalities of Blood will be posted May 17th. Chapter 3: Abnormal Formalities of Robbers and Beasts will be posted May 20th. A double posting!


	3. Chapter 2: Abnormal Formalities of Blood

After having killed Colter, the mixture of reactions from the audience about the new Overboss, and what the man behind the glass was saying, Avery wasn't sure what to feel or say. All he could do was watch as the man spoke to the crowd as they, for the most part, questioned what the hell was going on. He was tall - taller than Avery, who was only five-foot-seven- at least six-foot-two and gruff looking. He wore a hazardly mess of yellow metal plating and bars as a chest piece and a matching metal eyepatch over his right eye. His hair, a neutral brown, was greasily formed into a mohawk, the sides shaved closely down.

"You better know what the hell you're doing," a gruff woman's voice said through the audience's chatter.

"He survived the Gauntlet. He was smart enough to take my advice and strong enough to kill Colter. Why don't you show some respect for our new leader, eh?" the man behind the glass said.

"He'll get respect when he earns respect," a different female said, followed shortly by an "Amen" by a male.

"All right, all right. Now, get the hell out of here. I'll show the boss around," the man instructed, the crowd starting to thin out. From the viewing area, Avery could see four figures who stood out: a large, burly man with what looked like face paint, a woman in a distinct mask with several points, and a woman and a man standing close by to each other. Their presence felt stronger than the other raiders behind the glass, and Avery wasn't sure what to comprehend from that . Was he going to have to deal with those powerhouses at some point? How and when, he wasn't sure, but it wouldn't be pretty.

"What'd I tell ya? Worked like a charm," the man from the intercom said to Avery, grabbing his attention away from the four raiders, now moving to leave the arena. Avery shrugged in response before speaking.

"That was nothing. I've had tougher challenges, ya know," Avery replied, scratching the shaved downside of his head. The man looked at him with his one eye, squinting at Avery's cocky tone.

"Bullshit. Without me, I'd be scraping your guts off the floor," the man replied. "Now, I'm sure ya got a lot of questions, but this ain't the place. Meet me at the restaurant on top of good old Fizztop Mountain. We can talk there."

The door next to the man opened, and Avery made his way through, giving the man a glance from head to toe. "Ya know, I'm not too keen on this whole raider business, but I guess you're gonna convince me otherwise," Avery said, his tone light. "I mean, if it's anything like what just happened, I'll get bored."

"You can't leave if you tried. You might think you're not involved, but you are now. You killed Colter, and that means there's a vacancy in the Overboss position," the man began.

"Why don't you just take the position then, Mr… I never actually caught your name…" Avery said, cutting the man off. "You seemed interested in having Colter dead, why not usurp him instead of an outsider like me?"

"Gage. Porter Gage. Leading ain't my style; I'm better off helping from the side. Anyways, like I said, we can talk at Fizztop Mountain, alright?" Gage said, turning towards the doors at the end of the ramp.

"Oh alright then, have it your way, Gage. I'll meet you there once I take in the scenery a bit," Avery said with a bright, pre-war smile. The man, Gage, looked back and was slightly shocked at the sanctity of Avery's teeth; it was a rare occurrence for anyone to have all their teeth, let alone white teeth. Avery laughed at the small exchange and skipped in front of Gage, Avery's hands clasped behind his back.

Outside, the smell of blood, decay, and unwashed bodies was almost permeable. Avery's face scrunched up in protest to the pungent air but relaxed quickly. "I can't look weak. I can't look like I don't belong," he thought to himself, dropping his expression into a scowl, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. His posture went from playful to serious as his back straightened and his hands tightened around each other behind his back.

As Avery walked the street, he noticed the stares and murmurs of the raiders of varying attire. He could discern three different styles of dress: neon animal, leather and masks, and what could pass as formal attire. Avery passed the "market" as the painted wood stuck to the wall stated, watching as a raider harassed a woman in a slave collar. As he passed, his hands tightened even more and his urge to strike the raider rose, but, Avery calmed himself. He couldn't start problems in the first hour, he would just be killed for trying to impose himself too early. Avery would need to earn their respect as that woman had said in the arena before he does anything.

After a few moments, passing an arcade and the once notorious Cappy's Cafe, Avery arrived in the plaza. The memories of the sparkling water, the fountain just to the left spewing into the air as children ran about and their parents exhaustedly sighed, all came to fruition. This scene now, however, was nothing like that. The water was murky, filled with algae and trash, and even a few raiders waddling about searching the brown-tinted water. The fountain was partially destroyed and no longer functional, and all around the plaza evidence of morally questionable acts were apparent. This place was truly not at all what it used to be, but was it worse?

Nuka-World, as Avery remembered, had been filled with controversy about the ethical practices of the park. Waiving your rights at the admissions both, some rides even declaring you might be harmed, the medical assist only available if the victim could speak. It was all a huge convoluted scheme to cut loses, even if that meant losing lives in the process. Now? It was a massive raider camp. There wasn't anything going on in the shadows, raiders didn't like that sort of thing, and instead, all the misfortune and terror was upfront.

Fizztop Mountain was just in front of Avery now, his mullings distracting him from noticing his walk around the plaza's waterfront. There stood a lift, its ropes extending upwards towards the top of the structure with a platform of assorted wood resting on the ground. Avery took two wary steps onto the platform and pushed the button, the lift shaking as it ascended. The lift stopped abruptly as it reached its destination, sending Avery lurching forward into the Fizztop Grille. Gage stood from the oblong bar he sat at as Avery fell, catching him.

"Ah! Gage! Holy shit, get someone to fix that hazard you call a lift!" Avery said, his tone part frightened and part angry. "If I die to a fucking lift malfunction, I will personally end you all from the afterlife." Gage simply laughed at Avery's words, steadying him before letting go and sitting back down at the bar.

"So, Boss, besides how you feel about the lift, what do you think of the place, the 'scenery?' I hope it's all to your liking, eh, but there are a few things you'll need to know about it first," Gage said, his eye showing his intentions of pressing the conversation his way. Avery sat down on a stool next to Gage, swiping a bottle of purple Nuka-Cola and popping the bottle cap. Gage watched him as he took his first sip, his brows raised.

"Proceed, Gage. I'd like to know what I'm doing here, exactly," Avery said, his tone flat.

"Ah, yes Boss. As I was saying, the park has a few unique things going on. There are three packs of raiders in these walls, all ready to just about murder each other because of Colter's ineptitude; I hope that you noticed that, Boss?" Avery nodded his head in answer to Gage's question. "Good, you're not oblivious," Gage said, his hand lightly slapping the bartop.

"I don't take kindly to insults, Gage, whether indirect or direct," Avery said before taking another swig of the hot, grape-flavored soda. His eyes stared into Gage's eye until Gage looked out over the plaza. Avery scoffed at the submissive action.

"Well, sorry Boss. I didn't mean anything by it. I just got to be skeptical and all…"

"Skeptical, Gage? Of what, do tell me in detail," Avery inserted, placing the bottle down and standing above Gage, the difference in height causing Gage to look up.

"It's just that… ya know, Boss, you said back there yourself. You're not too keen on this raider business; you don't fit the look of a raider at all! I'm surprised ya didn't just run off as soon as you were out of my sight!" Gage said, his voice rising in volume at points, but otherwise held a firm tone. "I can't have another blunder like Colter happen, else I'll be dead."

Avery stared at Gage for a moment before turning, tightly grabbing the now mostly empty bottle of Nuka-Cola and smashing it against the countertop. With the glass scattering across the floor and bar, Avery turned to Gage with an indiscernible face. "Gage, you've got five minutes to tell me what I need to know. I don't want another fucking word about the blunders you've had before. You want someone competent? You've got that someone. And if I hear another goddamn backhand comment," Avery said as he grabbed Gage by the collar, which was quite difficult due to the armor Gage wore but Avery did not falter, "I won't hesitate to end this all."

Gage gulped and silently nodded. Avery let go of his collar before sitting down again. Gage looked at the floor for a moment before recomposing himself and meeting Avery's gaze. "Alright, Boss, here's what there's to know…"

* * *

After talking with Gage - the five-minute threat had really turned him into an info dump- Avery made his way down on the lift, his hands gripping the railing. Gage had more or less directed him to meet with the leaders of each raider gang: the Disciples, the Operators, and the Pack. The Disciples were the closest, residing in what used to be Fizztop Mountain, so Avery decided that they would be the first to talk with.

Avery hadn't noticed the smell of blood and obvious death that surrounded the lift when he first came through. "Holy fuck," he said under his breath as the lift finally rested on the ground. Just next to the lift were two troughs of what looked to be filled entirely with blood. Gage had said that the Disciples were bloodthirsty, crazy sons-of-bitches but Avery didn't think he meant it to the tee. As Avery walked towards the entrance of Fizztop Mountain, the gore only got more and more grotesque and horrifyingly bountiful. How many bodies were a part of these displays? "This sure is a first impression," Avery muttered dejectedly.

The entrance was guarded by two raiders, their leather armor and masks covering a majority of their bodies. The raider at the door looked Avery over, still in the attire he had worn when he fought Colter - a t-shirt, a long sleeve, shorts, and his messenger bag- and asked what the hell he thought he was doing. Avery simply looked forward at the raider, and they stared back going on about who he thought he was looking at and whether he should be at the market trying to make them caps. It wasn't until the other raider realized who Avery was that the raider quieted down, excusing herself for not recognizing the Overboss. Avery smiled at her, saying it wasn't that big of a deal.

But, it was a big deal. Avery grabbed the raider by her arm and flipped her over his shoulder, slamming her into the ground, the raider gasping as the air was knocked of her. Avery placed his boot against her chest and pressed down, not letting her breathe in again easily. "Let this be your one warning, shitstain. Don't talk about me in that tone ever again, understood?" Avery said, his smile not lifting from his face. The raider nodded frantically and Avery released his foot from her chest, air sucking in as he did. "Good! And you," Avery said as he pointed at the other raider, "You saw nothing. Mhm?" The other raider shook his head in agreement, and Avery entered into Fizztop Mountain.

Avery stepped into the building, the smell of blood even more rancid than outside, unto the scene of the woman in the mask from behind the arena glass talking with two other masked individuals. They stood next to pikes adorned with bodies mangled in anguish, blood still dripping down as if they were freshly skewed. However, it seemed they were wrapping up their conversation as Avery approached, catching only "Make sure the others get the message."

"I hope that that message includes not to insult the Overboss," Avery exclaimed, his voice overly piercing to the damp air. The masked woman looked to him, her stance shifting slightly to be more assertive. Avery, in turn, stood straight with one foot back, his right hand on the sheath of the knife on his bag.

"So, you're Gage's little pet project," the woman said, her tone uninterested.

"Pet project? I just told you not to insult me and yet, here we are," Avery said, his tone no longer as exuberant as before. "I just got finished teaching your lackeys outside this lesson; I sure hope I don't have to teach it to you as well, Nisha."

Nisha didn't seem phased by Avery speaking her name and scoffed lightly. "I will not have respect for you until you can show us results. Gage is a failure, but we're giving him a second chance with you," she said, her tone pointed like a sharpened blade.

"What a shame, Nisha. I was looking forward to gaining your respect by the time I walked out of here just by chit-chatting, but I guess that's not possible," Avery began, his tone mildly excited. "But I do want to ask you something… How about few knife fights? Best two out of three?"

Nisha stared at Avery, or what he assumed was staring since her eyes were completely covered, before drawing a knife from her backside. It was a finely made blade, curved like a cutlass. "If you had a death wish you should have just asked," she said, her tone now noticeably more enthusiastic.

"The first one to cause their opponent to submit or lands three hits wins the round. Fair?" Avery said, his eyebrows raised at Nisha, watching as she settled into a fighter's stance. She nodded her head in agreement before lunging at Avery. Avery, taken aback, barely reacted as Nisha landed one cut on his arm, missing his chest. "Fighting dirty… Nothing less than expected of a raider boss!"

The two traded back and forth, Nisha landing a second hit before Avery ever landed his first. Avery watched Nisha's movements as they danced around the area, a small gathering of Disciples beginning to form as they fought. As Nisha went for another strike, Avery jumped back and raised his hands in defeat, indicating that he submitted for the round. The raiders yelled out in cheers while some booed at the surrender. Avery readied himself this time, "Round two, Nisha. Let's play fair this time."

"There is no fairness in this world anymore!" Nisha exclaimed as she moved to attack again, Avery sidestepping her and sweeping her legs out from under her. Nisha fell hard against the ground, Avery jumping on top of her as he raised her head and brought the knife blade to her throat.

"Submit to me, Nisha," Avery whispered to her. Nisha tried to bring her knife up to Avery's face but he pressed the blade into her throat, the words of surrender coming from her mouth as the blood began to trickle out. Avery dismounted her, offering his free hand to help her up. Nisha refused and stood, walking back a few steps before preparing for the final round. The raiders had quieted down at the suddenness of Avery's victory. The tension in the air was thick as Avery signalled for the final round to begin, both him and Nisha lunging forward to fight.

Avery won, three to zero hits.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Chapter 3: Abnormal Formalities of Robbers and Beasts, will be posted May 20th.


	4. Chapter 3: Robbers and Beasts

Walking out of Fizztop Mountain felt strange to Avery. For one, he had just fought with a raider boss, but not in a deadly sense, but a sort of… competitive, even dare say playful sense? He and Nisha hadn't been fighting because they wanted to kill each other - although, Nisha might have wanted to, but Avery didn't any intentions to- but they were fighting for respect.

She was a fairly skilled fighter, likely honed by years of living in the wastes and struggling for survival, but she was still rough around the edges. Avery noticed the finesse in her style that was missing accuracy, a little too much reliance on hoping her opponent would blunder than being able to capitalize on her opponent's weaknesses. Before leaving, he had shown her a few things that he had learned from his past experiences, and she had received them well. Despite her tone, Nisha had seemed appreciative of Avery's advice.

Walking out of the plaza in the direction of the Parlor. The Operators were next on the list for the rounds and, from Gage's explanation, they sounded like the most level-headed of the three gangs. Their objective was clear: make a shitload of caps and do drugs or something. Compared to the Disciples and the Pack, the Operators sounded like a walk in the park for convincing to play nice with Avery.

The Parlor was more or less what it had been before the war, its structure and neon sign still intact but now adorned with the banners of a raider gang. Outside stood one guard with a dirty pinstripe suit underneath typical raider armor, his hair greased back. The man acknowledged Avery and moved to open the door, waving his hand inwards. "Enjoy your stay, Overboss," he said, his tone strangely chirper for a raider but Avery paid little mind.

Inside, the aroma of strong booze and probably toxic chemicals filled the air. The raiders inside motioned Avery into the next room, their mannerisms overly accentuated. A large mostly dilapidated dining table took up the room, a theatre stage at the far end. Avery noticed two raiders by the stage, discussing something, and soon realized who they were. Their presence radiated similarly to back in the arena after Colter's death, but now it was tamer, more withdrawn. The woman turned to Avery, her face expressing nothing, and the man next to her turned as well, and there the feeling of power was again in full force. His face showed nothing as well, but Avery could tell from even where he stood that they were related.

"Mags. William," Avery began, taking strides across the room to close the distance between them. "Your gang has done such a lovely job with inviting me into your fine establishment!" The two simply stared at him, their faces as stoic as when he walked in.

"We owe you for putting down Colter," Mags said.

"Man was an idiot. Made us all look bad," William added.

"A clown, stuck in his own little car. I guess we can take solace in the fact that someone finally gave him what he deserved. What did you feel as you did it?" Mags asked, her tone flat but somehow filled with curiosity.

Avery stood there for a moment, trying to find the right words to describe the feeling. Honestly, he hadn't thought about how it felt to have killed Colter the way he did; it all just sort of happened in a blur. "Truthfully, I just wanted to know if I could actually fit a grenade in between the power armor plating. And hey, it worked!" Avery said, smiling at the two of them. They didn't smile back.

"Hmm, not as interesting as I thought it would feel, but nonetheless. You're the new Overboss, and we can only hope you will work out better than Colter did," Mags said, looking Avery over with still no expression. "You'll come to understand that we are the only gang worth backing around here."

"From how things have been going so far, you're probably right," Avery remarked, his voice falling away as he finished. Mags raised an eyebrow and William looked to Mags. The two exchanged stares before turning back to Avery. "Although, if you don't mind me asking, there isn't some weird telepathy thing going on between the two of you, is there?"

The two actually laughed at that, albeit it wasn't a very long or loud laugh but they actually showed a sense of emotion for the first time since Avery had arrived. "No, Overboss, we do not," Mags said, her face becoming neutral again.

"We've been through everything since the beginning, as siblings and all. We know each other very well," William said, a small smile still on his lips.

"Ah, just making sure. It might have come in handy if you two did though, but I won't complain," Avery replied, his tone cheerful and matching the smile he had. "But, I do have to know why you believe I should back your gang," Avery said, his face dropping into a flat expression. "I intend to get things done and I need reliability and respect from those around me."

"If that's the case, we'd like some assurances that you're going to bring this place back to its true purpose: robbing folks of their fucking money," Mags said, her tone sharpening.

"I'm mostly here for the rides and soda. I said that back in the arena, but I suppose caps are a good thing to focus on too now that you say it. I'll consider your requests," Avery said part jokingly. William muttered something under his breath and Mags reprimanded him swiftly, turning back to Avery.

"Of course, Overboss. We hope you'll make the right decisions sooner rather than later."

* * *

Avery left the Parlor feeling content. Mags and William were the easiest gang so far Avery could connect to. Nisha's rule of simply keeping the peace and not getting caught didn't sit well on his shoulders, but the Operators just wanted to make a living. Although that living did entail scamming, robbing, extortion, and the like, there was an apparent lack of murder and torture. Avery wasn't keen on killing or hurting people for sport - which, the Disciples did- but smooth-talking them out of their money? However you needed to survive in this world was fine in Avery's book.

Walking back to the market, Avery began to spot the neon eyesores that were the Pack. One leaned against the market's walling, a bat next to her. "You," Avery said, his tone commanding and finger pointing at the raider, "give me that bat of yours." The raider looked at Avery, her bird mask hiding her facial expression. She grabbed the bat and threw it to Avery, mentioning that he could have it, Overboss and all. Avery guided his hands over the bat, the smooth aluminium metal just slightly cold to the touch.

The Pack resided in the ruins of the Bradberton Amphitheater, the open areas filled with cages holding various animals and slaves. Upon entering, besides the overpowering smell of shit and sweat, Avery noticed the cage housing several slaves and Pack members poking and prodding them from outside, all while hurling insults. Avery approached the cage, looking in and being met with the looks of broken men and women.

"What ends up happening to these people?" Avery asked the raiders around the cage. One raider stopped their pestering and turned their head to Avery, a helmet with antlers adorning it.

"We usually work 'em until they can't work anymore. Then we see if they can survive against our beasts," the raider said, his voice growing excited at the mention of their beasts. "It's always such a sight to watch one of our own tear the flesh from -"

"That's all. Thanks for the information," Avery interjected, moving to go farther into the amphitheatre. The sight of those entrapped and the knowledge of their fates was too much for Avery to handle reasonably. He promised himself he'd do something to change it all and set them free.

In the middle of the amphitheatre was another large cage, two mangled mutts going at each other's throats while raiders cheered on from the sides. Avery watched for a moment before feeling a strong shiver come over him. It felt as though someone was staring him down and through his soul from nearby. Looking about, Avery noticed a well-built man sitting beyond the cage, a throne raised well above the ground by the amphitheatre staging underneath him. His eyes beckoned Avery to him, his face painted with bright colors of blues, greens, and reds.

Avery approached the man, his red hair coming into focus against the face paint. He wore a light blue stained tank top and furry red-pink pants, a necklace of what looked to be human bones loosely wrapping around his neck. The man stood, towering over Avery from his position; he had to have already been at least six feet tall but the height advantage was even greater due to the staging.

"Now that I get a closer look at you... Not sure I'm buying this new Overboss thing," the man said, his voice confirming that he looked down on Avery both literally and figuratively. "Name's Mason. The Pack's Alpha."

"Step down from that height, Mason. I don't like having to look up when I'm talking to someone," Avery said, planting the bat he still held into the ground before lightly leaning on it. Avery had made the request staring more or less into Mason's abdomen, not making an effort to meet Mason's gaze. Mason laughed at the request, however, and didn't move.

"Don't think so, Boss," Mason replied, his tone beginning to turn defiant. "You'll have to knock me down from here if that's what you want."

Avery stood up straight, grabbing the bat tightly in his hand. "That's not the answer I wanted, Mason," Avery said low and jaded. With speed, Avery swung the bat above and behind him, ready to strike, before connecting it roughly with the side of Mason's left knee. The sound of the metal bat rang out through the noisy amphitheatre, the air growing quiet except for Mason's vulgar swearing.

Avery grabbed Mason's face, Mason now kneeling before him and clutching his knee, and forced him to meet Avery's gaze. "Next time I ask for something," Avery started, his words articulated harshly, "you will do it, Mason. I don't care that you're the Alpha of these goddamn animal-dressing fuckers. I am the Omega here, I am the Overboss. Is that understood, Mason?"

Mason glared at Avery, his hand tightening into a fist before relaxing. "Understood, Overboss," Mason replied through gritted teeth.

"Good, now sit and let me see your knee," Avery said calmly, letting go of Mason's face. Avery turned to the raiders behind him, many who had stopped and been staring in disbelief at the scene, and gently threw the bat in their direction. "Make sure that gets back to the bird mask I took that from. Tell her it made a mess of Mason's knee for me. And stop fucking staring." The nearest raider grabbed the bat and nodded, turning to run off to find the bat's owner. The rest began to go back to their usual business, a few not-so-quietly discussing what had just happened.

Mason had moved to sit and try and stretch his leg out but had been unable to. Avery dug out his medkit from the messenger bag, unzipping it and producing a small plastic jar filled with cream. He rolled Mason's pant leg up above the knee, looking over the swelling and discoloration. "How bad does it hurt?"

"Pretty fucking bad. You hit it like you meant it," Mason said, the pain he was in evident by his voice. His gaze was down at his knee, but Avery could see the anger in his eyes. Avery opened the jar and dipped two fingers in, gathering a reasonable glob of the thick paste before lightly spreading it on Mason's knee. "What is that stuff?"

"It's a homemade paste that acts similarly to a stimpack. It's better for bruises and swelling than wounds, though," Avery said, his eyes looking down at his hands as he worked the paste in. "It's not broken, surprisingly. Usually aluminium bats will break bones, but I guess with all this muscle it padded a lot of the blunt force." Although it wasn't his intention, Avery had noticed the definition of Mason's muscles. His large calves bled into thighs that rivalled that of men Avery had known back in the military. It had been a long time since Avery had seen muscles of this definition, let alone touched them in the slightest.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Mason said, a small, but still angry, laugh exiting his lips. "But I don't get why you're doing all this, Boss."

"I demand your respect, but I'm not going to beat you into submission for it. I knew I would need to show you I wasn't scared to get a small part of your respect," Avery said, meeting Mason's stare for the first time again. His eyes were a hazel color, and his torso was much broader up close than from afar. His skin was lightly touched by the sun, or maybe it was just the filth and grime that made his skin seem as dark as it was. He was an attractive man — Avery shook his head; he wasn't supposed to be thinking about these kinds of things. "Now, your knee should heal nicely as long as you don't stand on it too much or get another bat to it. Are your people going to cause me problems since I threw a hit at you, Mason?"

"The Pack does what I tell them. You don't get in my way - or swing a bat at me again- they won't get in yours," Mason replied, his tone now softer. "You're the boss, for now."

"And what does that mean? Are you looking to run this place?"

"If the other gangs would go along, yeah, I'd run this place in a heartbeat. Might have to, if you pull some shit like that again," Mason said, his voice returning to the smugness it had before. His eyes had a certain fire in them that showed self-confidence or an inflated ego, Avery wasn't entirely sure. He stood up, and Avery followed suit, but this time Mason made sure to be on equal ground. "You can't be any worse than Colter. I hope you'll do right by the Pack."

* * *

As the sun set, Avery had made his way back to the Fizztop Grille. Inside, Gage sat in one of the many booths of the place, tinkering with a rifle. Avery slid into the opposite side, Gage barely looking up from his rifle as he asked how everything had gone today. As Avery went on about the happenings of his first day as Overboss, the tinkering came to a painfully obvious stop.

"You did WHAT?!" Gage exclaimed as Avery finished filling him in on the details, his fist slamming into the countertop of the table. "I leave you alone on your first day and you pick a fight with two of the gang bosses!"

"Calm down, Gage. None of them resent me for it, at least not outwardly. Hell, I think I got more respect out of showing up Nisha and Mason than I did talking with Mags and William," Avery said, taking a swig of a stray Nuka-Cola he had found. "And I can handle myself, I don't need babysitting."

"It's not that you need babysitting, Boss, it's that you could have been killed day one! Then what would I do with two dead Overbosses and no one to lead," Gage said, his voice concerned, but for which one of them Avery wasn't sure.

"Then you'd have to get your hands dirty, Gage. If I was dead I'd be absolved from this situation." Avery wasn't interested in the conversation, let alone Gage seemingly being more concerned with his own safety than Avery's. But then again, he was still a raider, just one that was a whole lot smarter.

"Like hell you would, Boss."

"Gage, get out of here if all you're going to do is reprimand me for things I did," Avery said, putting the bottle down. Gage looked at Avery with somewhat of a confused look, but shook his head and shrugged before getting up from his seat, scooping up the rifle that was more or less put together.

"If that's what you want, Boss, so be it. I'll see you in the morning to discuss our plans," Gage said over his shoulder, giving a small nod as he pushed the button to summon the lift. However, the lift had already arrived and off stepped Mason. "What are you doing here, Mason?" Gage questioned.

"I just wanted to chat a bit with the Overboss before he retired for the night. Is that a problem, Gage?" Mason answered back, his tone patronizing. Gage stared at Mason for a few moments before scoffing, walking onto the lift and pushing the button.

"See ya tomorrow, Boss," Gage said as he descended. Avery looked at Mason from his seat at the booth. Mason had removed the skeleton necklace and he was standing slightly more on his right leg than his left. His face paint had been cleaned off as well.

"Knee still hurting?" Avery asked, turning in the booth towards Mason. Mason had approached him and now stood by the booth's side, the lantern lights of the grille barely illuminating Mason's grand stature.

"Just a bit, but you don't have to worry about it, Boss. You've got bigger things to worry about right now," Mason said, his voice a low, primal growl almost. Avery raised his eyebrow questioningly at the tone of Mason's voice before Mason's hand grabbed him by the throat.

"You've got me to worry about right now."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Chapter 4: Primal Encounter will be posted May 27th. Because this chapter is explicit it will only be posted on AO3. I will be on vacation for two weeks after that posting.

Chapter 5: Among Stars and Killer Robots will be posted June 14th.


	5. Chapter 5: Among Stars and Killer Robots

**Author's Note** : Chapter 5: Primal Encounter, was only posted to AO3. You may find it under the same name as this fic.

PTSD warning.

* * *

It had taken all of Avery's remaining willpower to remain standing when he confronted Mason. When Mason had left, the sound of the lift descending noisily into the night, Avery fell onto the floor, his legs a trembling mess. Mustering what little strength he had left was a challenge, praying to any gods above that he'd be able to at least get to the bathroom before he lost it all. Somehow, someway, Avery did, sliding over the bathtub side. It looked like it hadn't seen good use in quite some time.

"Please let the water work. Please let the water work," Avery chanted to himself as he turned

one of the knobs. The rumbling of the pipes filled the small room as cold, steady water flowed into the tub. Avery cursed at the frigidness but let the liquid pool against his sore body. He turned the water off as the tub almost filled completely, slipping down into the water. He began to relax, closing his eyes and letting his mind go blank and his breathing steady into a calm rhythm. Minutes passed, turning into almost an hour before Avery opened his eyes again. His body felt numb but renewed. He let the water drain as he carefully guided himself into a standing position. The soreness flared up again, but it was manageable.

Avery made his way back to the bed, water dripping onto the floor as he walked. He picked up his shorts and underwear, slipping them back on, and his shirts. He used the undershirt to dry himself at least a bit - he'd hang it to dry somewhere around the room- and hung the long sleeve on a nearby chair, pausing momentarily as he began to wipe over his right arm. He had gotten a tattoo when he was 23, a sleeve no less, of two figures sitting side by side in a flower field, the sun shining hazily over the two. The color had faded ever since he had gotten out of the vault, but the picture was still discernible. Avery sat down on the bed, looking over his body art with a sense of sadness. He didn't want to cry, it had been a year, but God if he didn't miss him. The small leather bracelet he wore had their rings, a small reminder of better times, but also a reminder to keep looking for another someone. He would have wanted that for Avery...

Lying down, Avery closed his eyes as he rubbed the rings between his fingers. The motion against the smooth metal bands always calmed him, and when times were tough he would keep his finger over the engraving on the inside of his own ring. "Love without fail, live without worry," Avery whispered. He had spoken that phrase a hundred times, and it never failed to remind him of what he had been fighting for back when he was still a rebellious young adult. Hell, he still was a rebellious young adult, a mere 25 years old, minus the two hundred year cryosleep. Right now, however, that phrase felt empty, hollow like the crater where the Institute once bunkered itself away. There was no one to love in this world anymore, not that he had found just yet - and God if he hadn't tried to find someone- but he still had to live on. He had to find peace in a world that had all but given up on it. He had to, for himself and for those he had lost.

* * *

Avery hadn't realized he had fallen asleep that night, the thoughts of his past swimming freely through his mind. He awoke to the sound of the door opening, boots noisily colliding with the stone floor.

"Boss? Ya in here?" a somewhat familiar voice called out, the man coming into the room. Gage stood before him, scanning about before landing on Avery now sitting on the bed. He was fully outfitted in his yellow metal armor, a modded rifle slung over his shoulder. Avery rubbed his eyes, hearing a small cough from Gage before a simple "Mornin' Boss."

"Ahh… Morning Gage," Avery said in return, pushing himself slightly off the bed. His legs were still sore, but he could stand at least. Gage was staring back at Avery, his eyes making small motions downwards before coming back up. Avery glanced down, realizing that he hadn't put some kind of shirt on before going to bed. He grabbed the long sleeve that he had worn the day before off the chair it hung from. Buttoning it up, he began to speak. "Did you want something, Gage?"

"Oh, right Boss, sorry. We should get to talkin' about the plans for the park," Gage said, his words a bit rushed as he recollected himself. Avery simply raised an eyebrow at Gage, but paid no more mind to the situation. "Like I said yesterday, right now the gangs are tightly packed together here and just about ready to explode on each other. We've only got control of one park here and it's not a whole lot of space to work with. There are five other parks that aren't cleared yet, so we should look to clearin' those out and dividing 'em up between the gangs."

"Only five parks? Someone is gonna get the short end of the stick and I'm betting whoever that is isn't going to like that?" Avery questioned, opting to sit at the table that adorned the middle of the room. Gage had moved to sit on the table, nodding his head at Avery in response.

"You've got that right, Boss. If we try dividing the parks up fairly, well, I don't think we'll be in any less hot water. The gangs don't take very well to sharin' anything, let alone territory. You're gonna have to pick someone who gets fucked over in the end, unless you can pull a miracle."

"Not much of a miracle worker, Gage. Used up all my luck surviving this long."

"Well if that's the case, ya better start thinkin' and makin' some talk between you and the gang bosses, see what they can offer in return for not getting just one park. After we've got control of all the parks, we've gotta worry about turning the power back on and get this thing fully goin'. Once that's all done," Gage started, but paused for a second, scratching his chin, "I haven't thought that far, Boss. Didn't think I'd get someone who'd kill Colter this soon."

"Alright then, if that's the plans then we should get started today," Avery said, his hand going through his hair, the blue curls tangling with his fingers. Gage produced a map from his pocket, unfolding it and placing it on the table. There were markings all over the map, some looking like scribbles of what might be considered handwriting.

"I'm thinkin' we head on over to the Galactic Zone first since it's the closest. From what we've gathered, it's overrun by pre-war robots that ain't keen on letting us in," Gage moved his finger over the map, hovering above the poorly written word "robots." Avery could remember some of the robots he had encountered back before the war. There were those Mr. Handys that spritzed Nuka-Cola, some eyebots that played advertisements and music, and those hulking custom protectrons. Sounded like… fun, right?

"Not really outfitted to fight robots, though," Avery said, his head coming to rest on his hand. He gave Gage a glance over, watching as Gage's gaze went from the map to him. He leaned back a bit, looking Avery over before looking off at a wall.

"What you're wearin' ain't really suited for much," Gage muttered, giving Avery another look over before catching his eyes. "Ahh, I didn't mean anythin' by that, Boss! I haven't seen anyone fight in, well, what ya got on and survive… That's all…"

"It's fine, Gage," Avery said, waving his hand in the air to signal his indifference. He could probably pick something up on the way out at the market, but eventually, he'd probably have to make a supply trip back out into the Commonwealth. "I can get by for now with what I have."

"Ya sure? What do you have besides a knife and whatever is in that shoulder bag of yours?"

"I've made due with less." Gage seemed a bit unconvinced, but he shrugged his shoulders in response. Avery stood to stretch himself out, hoping that by the time they started out his soreness would be mostly gone. He really wasn't looking to waste medicine for what he had put himself through intentionally last night. "I'd like to head out today, within the hour. I'll grab some equipment from the marketplace and meet you at the gate exit."

* * *

It was barely past eight in the morning when Avery met Gage by the gate, a used leather outfit replacing his shorts and shirt. He wore sunglasses now, the morning sun reflecting off their black tint as it peeked out from behind shifting clouds. A rifle similar to Gage's was slung over his shoulder, the type apparently common among the raiders here. It was lighter than his own but seemed reliable enough.

Gage was smoking when Avery walked up, the cigarette half gone already. He took one last drag before he threw it to the ground, stamping it out with his heel. He gave Avery a small greeting before looking in the direction of the Galactic Zone. His plan was in motion now, after a year of watching Colter do jackshit about it. Gage smiled softly before beginning to walk in the direction of the park. Avery made small talk about the danger the robots posed, seeing if there was anything he might want to know before they got shot at. Gage had no answers, however.

The two arrived at the entrance of the park to a gruesome scene. All about the entrance were bodies in different states of decay, some looking as if they had been feasted on by animals. Around the now decomposing masses of flesh were various destroyed robots. It looked like whoever these people were had put up a fight as a last resort but had ultimately met their ends.

One of the bodies, a young looking woman with short hair, lied just outside the gate. Avery noticed something clutched in her hand, something small and rectangular in shape. Tapping the body with his foot, he loosened the object from her cold grasp, discovering the thing to be a holotape. Gage was off about seeing if there was anything worth looting off the dead, so Avery dug out his Pip-Pad and pushed the holotape in.

The audio log retold the story of the woman and her group, traders apparently, being pushed out of Nuka-World and taking refuge in the Galactic Zone. Apparently within was something called "Star Control," which used "star cores" to function properly. Albeit the woman's warnings, they had activated the control system without enough cores, booting the robots into an aggressive state. The log ended with their plans to escape. Avery looked over the mess of bodies and robot husks, a low "Fuck" escaping his lips.

Gage rejoined Avery, asking if he had found anything useful. Avery explained what he had learned, Gage nodding along but his eye said that he understood barely anything Avery was saying. Avery sighed, hoping that the worst was already before him: dead bodies and dead robots.

* * *

It really wasn't the worst before him at the gate. An assaultron's body had been a false prophet, Avery now wincing as the machine gun fire and explosive capabilities of a sentry bot filled the theater. "Who the fuck," Avery yelled, mostly in frustration but also as a question, "assigns a sentry bot to a theater?!" Another round of gunfire followed his exclamation, the bullets flying overhead. Gage was across the room, taking potshots at the robot monstrocity. Sometimes it would retarget, and then Avery would have his turn at negligibly shooting into the reinforced armor plating. A viciously boring, but still heart-pounding, situation. Eventually, the goddamn thing took enough damage, sending itself into its self-destruct sequence, a fiery explosion erupting into the desolate theater.

The room was ablaze as Avery stepped out from cover, Gage cautiously making his way over. Avery had noticed the star core at the bar, but decided against grabbing it now, rampant fire and likely radiation and all. He wondered if the theater would burn down and, if possible, the whole damn park. The two exited the theater into what would only make this day shittier. Rain. Avery removed his sunglasses and cursed, "Just fucking great."

They made their way through the park, fighting against the various robots that still inhabited the park. Avery made a few choice comments about the legality of having robots with literal weapons in an amusement park, but he wasn't a lawyer nor was anyone going to listen to his case besides Gage. Gage just laughed at the remarks. After several minutes of walking through the drenching downfall, the winding ramps taking them somewhere, the two entered into some building, the name blurred by the heavy rain.

Upon entering the building, Avery's throat closed, his heart beginning to pound harder and faster as he realized what was housed inside. In distinct fashion across the wall read "Vault-Tec," the words instilling emotions Avery thought he had coped with long ago. Stumbling, Avery landed against a wall, the structure sighing in protest to his weight being pushed against it. Gage had already stepped further into the lobby, not noticing Avery's sudden panicked state. He made some remark about how he could never live in something like this, the suffocation of being trapped too much for him. When Avery gave no reply, he turned to see Avery staring off, eyes wide like a frightened child.

"Boss…?" Gage called, the title breaking the silence and snapping Avery out of his head. Avery looked at Gage, catching his confusion - or maybe it was concern- in his visible, green eye. He averted his gaze, his hand moving to fiddle with the piercings along the upper part of his ear before replying to Gage.

"Ah, sorry," Avery began, his voice barely carrying through the room, "Vaults aren't exactly my favorite places to be."

"Aren't ya from a vault, though?" Gage said, his eyebrow raised. It seemed odd to him, the pristine condition he was in and all was an easy tell that Avery hadn't grown up in the wastes. Vaulties were always so clean, always had all their white teeth, and were always downright… different. Avery hadn't been an exception to that precedent. His character was unpredictable, almost like he could flip from one to another. He had called Gage 'Mr.' when they first met and later went to beat up two of three ruthless raider bosses the _same_ day. "Living in a vault sounds a lo-"

"I didn't live in a vault," Avery said, cutting Gage off from his thought. "I don't want to talk about this right now. Let's just get this stupid fucking building cleared and get out." With that, Avery made his way past Gage, long strides guiding him onto a platform and into a tunnel-like structure, the lights and a voice coming on as he went through. Gage stared for a moment, confused, but shortly followed after. The boss was a strange one, a very strange one.

They made their way through the building, coming to realize that it was an extended exhibit of vault life in outer space. "Yeah, great idea, vaults in _space_ ," Gage mumbled at some point. Inside there were a few protectrons and turrets, but nothing as big a threat as a sentry robot. Truthfully, the worst part was the eeriness of the mannequins placed about the rooms, their chipped paint jobs only making them feel more surreal. This was the life people had expected to live before the bombs fell?

Avery's paranoia of the whole thing was starting to get to him, unbeknownst to Gage. He had fallen behind, letting Gage lead the way, purposefully so that he would not be the first to round a corner. His gun was half-raised in his right, his other hand constantly fiddling with his piercings. Flashes of Vault 111 went through his head, the walls seemingly bleeding into hallucinations of being guided along to what should have been his death. God, the smiles they had on their faces as they took unknowingly the only things he still held dear to him in those fleeting moments. Sometimes Gage would start talking to him or Avery would run into him, sending the visions away for a momentary reprise. Reality was beginning to lose its shape as they delved deeper into the exhibit, Avery's heart beating frantically.

It all came to an end when out of the corner of his eye Avery spotted a body behind the glass looking into some planetary scene. His mind told him that he was there, lying motionless, the gunshot ringing out so disturbingly in the cold silence. The cries of their child as he was ripped away from him followed, the piercing wails filling the air. Avery dropped his gun and pounded against the glass, screaming in anguish as his fists connected again and again with the window. "Not again, not again, not again," Avery started to yell, the glass beginning to shatter. "Take me too, damnit! Fucking kill me!"

The scene faded away as Avery was grabbed by the shoulders and pushed into a wall, Gage's face coming into focus with a desperate look of concern. His mouth was moving, but Avery couldn't hear a word that came out. Eventually, everything faded to black.

* * *

The sound of gunfire woke Avery up, a disgruntled feeling washing over him as his eyes desperately tried to open fully. Outside, Gage was firing off against a group of stray robots that had wandered in from Avery's episode. Avery weakly tried to push himself up, his body protesting and eventually winning as it slumped back onto the ground. The periodic gunfire stopped after a few minutes, a brief moment of silence overcoming the room before heavy footsteps took it away. Gage squatted in front of Avery, his rifle gently sliding onto the floor as he lifted Avery's face up. "You're awake I see. Barely, but you're awake." Gage produced a can of water, popping the top and motioning for Avery to drink. He accepted, the liquid pouring into his mouth and trickling out the sides as he gulped it down. "Been about five hours since ya had your meltdown." Avery choked on the water, rough coughs rippling through his body.

"Five hours?!" Avery said, his voice hoarse.

"Uh huh, or so says that prewar gadget of yours. Few robots been comin' in and searchin' the damn place wondering what caused all that commotion. Dragged ya into this room here and been watchin' over the place since." Gage had sat down next to Avery, his head lowered to his lap as he picked up his rifle, popping a few parts out and in. Avery's left hand went up to his ear.

"I'm sor-"

"Nah none of that bullshit. You got your issues, I got mine. We all got some damn skeletons in our closets and there ain't no point in lettin' 'em out when we don't want to. But, I do got one question for ya, Boss, if ya don't mind me askin'."

"And that would be what, Gage?"

"Well, I was checkin' you over for wounds - see if the whole hysteria thing was caused by something like that- and I discovered a bite mark? On your neck right about here," Gage said, his finger coming to lightly poke at the base of Avery's neck. "Doesn't look like any kind of animal bite I've seen so I'm a bit curious is all." Avery scrunched his face up as he tried to get the cogs turning, the whole passing out thing still clogging up his thought process. Eventually, it came to him, the memories of the encounter with Mason flooding in.

"Oh fuck me," Avery muttered, his head lightly banging against the wall behind him while his hands covered his face. Gage let out a laugh.

"I'm not much for sloppy seconds, Boss, especially not from the Pack."

"Fuck off, Gage, fuck off."

* * *

It was mid-afternoon by the time the two exited the Vault Tec building, the afternoon heat mixed with the humidity of fresh rain in full force. At least the sun was out and they could actually see this time around. Smoke was rising in the distance from the theater building, but it seemed to have died down from the earlier fiasco.

Making their way through the park, the two stook to the high ground, taking out the stray robots as they found them. It was relatively simple picking until they stumbled upon the entrance to the RobCo Battle Arena, the two assaultrons hoisted on their podiums coming to life for seemingly no other reason than "Oh look, some humans to kill!" A few choice remarks and a bit of running around later, the robots were no more than piles of scrap metal and circuits.

"Who the fuck designed this place? Are we sure this was an amusement park and not a death trap?" Gage asked.

"Some executives that never intended to step within a fifteen-mile radius of this place, probably. Let's not go in there and let whoever gets this park to deal with it."

"Good idea."

* * *

Nuka-Galaxy was a winding nightmare of flashing lights, annoying voice-overs, and randomly lethal shooting alien animatronics. No, really, the animatronics actually shot real fucking lasers. At least this time, however, _they_ didn't have to fight the sentry bot that was for whatever reason in a roller coaster ride. It was a sight to see a fake alien that could easily just get blown to smithereens with one rocket take down a military-grade combat robot. Avery and Gage held back their laughter as the robot could not recognize the threat, the alien making terribly voiced noises all while shooting away, for probably ten minutes straight. Avery guessed the that the sentry bot couldn't understand it was being shot by something without a heat signature, but god damn if that flaw wasn't hilarious.

When the pair exited the ride, a pristine Nuka-Girl costume now stowed away in Avery's bag, the moon had just begun to peek over the park. Bringing out his Pip-pad, the time read around nine. They had collected a fair amount of star cores from around the park, Avery suggesting they should drop the components off at Star Control. The park was mostly desolate of its original robot population now, a comforting buzz of insects blanketing the park. When the two arrived, Avery went about fitting the cores into the mainframe, watching as the panels began to light up in a faint red glow. After finishing the installations, he went and tapped away at the central computer, pulling up various programs that, albeit he knew very little about and was ultimately unsure of whether it would cause more harm or good to be messing with, eventually lead to a very plain and simple command box. With a few more button presses, Avery disengaged the combat protocols of park's remaining functioning robots.

"Who would have thought it'd be as easy as 'deactivate combat protocols'!" Avery said, his voice feigning exuberance.

"I'd probably still fuck it up. That computer junk is way over my head," Gage replied while leaning against a piece of machinery, his voice showing the tiredness he was experiencing.

"Ah, well, that should be it for this park. We can figure out who gets it in the morning, yeah?"

"Yeah, let's get out of here. I don't want to see another damn robot for a few days…"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Chapter 6: Beneath Trodden Earth will be posted June 21st.


	6. Chapter 6: Beneath Trodden Earth

Avery and Gage arrived back at the bottom of the grilletop around eleven, the park full of raiders eerily quiet. Gage gave a small goodbye as Avery got onto the lift, saying he would come by tomorrow morning to talk about who to hand the Galactic Zone over too. Avery agreed, his eyes beginning to grow heavier as he said his goodbyes in return and watching Gage walk off, the lift noisily ascending into the restaurant.

When the lift haphazardly steadied itself at the top, Avery stumbled forward, letting the rifle slung over his shoulder drop to the ground. As it clattered against the floor, the thought of the safety being on not even coming into the forefront of his mind, Avery slumped over the bartop, his forehead resting against the cool, dirty surface. Today had been… a lot. His hand began to trace small circles against the granite, the fresh memories swirling about in his mind. In just a few days, he had gotten tangled up in a scheme to overthrow a raider boss, became a raider boss himself, beat up two raider bosses, slept with a raider boss… Avery sighed at that. God, he had really done that, and on the first day no less. Now just a few hours ago, he had finished something that would benefit these ruthless killers.

Avery stood back up, his hands moving to get the leather attire off of him. As he undressed, the thoughts of going forward with all this, the problems of leading a bunch of raiders to greater power, were pounding into him. The people out there, they weren't settlers who would just get angry at him if he couldn't provide for them. No, they were capable of slitting his throat in his sleep or blowing his brains across the pavement while he had his back turned. Avery bit his lip as he sat down against the worn mattress of the bed, his clothes stripped away except for an undershirt and underwear. Fuck, this was a problem. He had allies out in the Commonwealth who were willing to ensure he lived, but in these walls he had none. Gage was by his side, but more because he needed Avery for his plans. Could Avery trust Gage enough to protect him if a gang got hostile? It was bound to happen, he already knew that, but when?

Lying down, his head resting against the straw pillow, Avery had no real answer on what to do. Ever since he had made it out of that vault he had been playing with cards the world had been dealing him. Sure, he had cheated a few hands here and there, made some bad calls and lost some things, but he had continued to make it through each round somehow, someway. Now, however, there was barely anything to play with. His hand was a mismatch of suits and numbers, while every single raider out there had a knife behind their cards. All it would take was one of those raiders seeing through the facade, calling his bluff, and likely ending it all right then and there.

Fuck.

* * *

It was roughly noon when Gage arrived, his rough voice breaking the relative silence of the restaurant. Avery had been awake for about an hour, mindlessly tinkering with the rifle he had picked up yesterday. "Mornin', Boss." Avery replied with a simple grunt, still focused on the gun before him. Gage sat at the bartop watching as Avery inserted a part back into the gun for what was probably the twentieth time. "Ya seem a bit agitated there, Boss." Glancing up, Avery caught Gage's neutral gaze, his arms crossed atop the counter and his brow furrowed.

"Gun didn't feel right yesterday and I've been trying to find the problem for the last hour," Avery stated, putting the last part back into place before beginning to put the casing back together. Gage watched a bit longer before letting out a small chuckle, his head dipping down as he smiled slightly. With a click and snap, Avery finished putting the rifle back together before throwing a glare towards Gage. "Something funny, Gage?"

"It's jus' you ain't gonna get much reliability from a raider gun. The damn thing's held together with scrap metal and oiled with spit or blood." Gage met Avery's gaze, watching as his expression went from something of annoyance to acceptance. The damn thing really was held together with hopes and dreams, more or less. "Is that what's been makin' you look all mad and shit this morning? A fucking junkyard peashooter?" Avery's silence and pushing the rifle away didn't help to answer the question. Gage let out an ardent laugh from being, his mood carrying over into his words. "And here I thought you were conflicted about something worth a molerat's ass!"

Avery stood up, grabbing the rifle from the table before aiming it and firing a single shot, the sound of a Nuka-Cola bottle shattering following the ring of the shot. Gage's face went cold as the realization of what happened caught up, turning around to see a now scattered mess of glass and liquid littered the booth just behind him. "Ah, that feels a lot better now," Avery said, his voice low and sharp. "You were saying, Gage?" Avery watched as Gage turned back around to face him, his expression a mixture of fear, awe, and something indeterminable.

"Have you figured out what gang you're handin' the Galaxy Zone to, uh, Boss…?" Gage stumbled out, his back straightening as he recovered from a shot just past his head. "If you're not sure, I was thinkin' it was best to give it to the Operators. Park has a fuckin' helluva lot of tech and salvage, be great for luring in traders and putting some caps in our hands." Avery tilted his head, the rifle now resting on his shoulder, as he contemplated the suggestion.

"Makes sense to give it to them; don't see what the bloodhounds or animal-fuckers will do with robots. Only problem I see with giving it to the Operators is that they're the weaker of the gangs in terms of ruthlessness and I don't need a turf war so soon because the drugged up pups got a bone before the rest..." With a nonchalant tone, Avery recited off his thoughts while placing the rifle back onto the table and his hands smoothed over the malformed metal.

Gage looked in mild disbelief, his mouth slightly agape as his thoughts raced to reply. He hadn't thought the Boss would say something so accurate from just talking to the gangs once. The Operators had been a bit on the pacifist side when it came to getting their caps, always preferred to make deals than cutthroats, but they weren't incapable. They spent more time pranking the damn other gangs than doing anything harmful, and under pressure, they could fire back, but the drug fumes and experimental moonshine hinder them. Mags and William were ruthless, but the rest? Drug addicts with guns at the worst, and "better shots drunk" at best. "Ya might… be right, Boss," Gage started, his thoughts now a less tangled mess. "Givin' the first park to the Operators might get the other gangs riled up, but I think if you're swift and stomp out any sense of doubt that they'll get theirs, well, I think it'll work in our favor. We'll probably need to play a bit safe on how we interact for a bit, however."

"Alright, then let's get started then."

* * *

"When I said 'probably need to play safe on how we interact,' this is exactly what I fuckin' meant, Boss!" Gage grabbed at Avery as he hunched over a now bleeding out body of a Disciple, their cries muffled by the blood filling their lungs. Another raider stood back, their face twisted in fear and anger, the only thing holding them back was Gage and a gun.

"They had to know their fucking place!" Avery shouted as he forcefully shrugged Gage off of him. Avery stood straight up, pushing past Gage, and pointed the dripping knife in his hand at the other raider. A feeling of hatred emanated from Avery as his order came out. "You tell Nisha I will have a word with her later about this, but for now make this excruciatingly clear: I will not be regarded with such lack of respect again, from anyone, else their blood will be my paint and this knife the brush."

* * *

A pristine white plate was set before Avery, a well-cooked meal atop it. The chandelier dangled above the dinner table, lighting the room covered in dainty flower wallpaper. The smell of cinnamon and vanilla wisped in and out of the room, the desserts cooling in the kitchen. Avery's father sat across from him, his mother to his right. They were both young, early to mid-thirties, and the epitome of the American lifestyle and dream.

Avery picked at his food, his fork dancing against the plate as he anxiously awaited what his father would ask. For the last few minutes, his father hadn't as much as lifted his head from eating, and his mother now and then would glance back and forth between the two. They both knew something was going to happen, but what neither could say with certainty. Family dinners only happened at the table for a reason: the obligation of staying was morally placed on each attendants' shoulders until there a mutually-acceptable amount of time had passed.

Fucking morals and courtesy be damned to the deepest ring of hell.

"Your grades have been slipping." Avery's father said, his gaze still on his food.

"It's a tough semester."

"Have you considered trying harder, then?"

"I am trying—"

"Obviously not very hard if your grades are getting lower."

"That's not fair—"

"Life isn't fair. You're getting to the age where you need to be on top of your game or you're going to be left behind. You should know that by now."

"And I do! It's just that—"

"Nora's parents have been talking lately. I think the two of you would work well together. She's on track to be a lawyer. Maybe an overachieving woman in your life will spur a fire in you."

"Oh hun, that's a bit silly isn't it?" Avery's mother chimed in, her voice painfully cheerful. "Avery's only 15, he doesn't need to be worrying about partners right now!"

"His future is very much something he should be worried about. I think he and Nora together would be beneficial for both of them." Finally, Avery's father looked up from his plate to glare at Avery, his full attention now on him. "Especially for him."

"I don't even like Nora." Avery slumped in his chair, his arms crossed and his eyes averted from his father's stare.

"Sit up straight!" Without hesitation, Avery was startled into a proper sitting position. The table shook from the weight of his father's fist, the plates rattling against the tabletop. "I don't care what you like. You are not going to be a disappointment in this family anymore."

"Don't say that dear—"

"Shut up!" At full height, Avery's father was a terrifying, and Avery's mother recoiled in her chair from the abrupt anger directed at her. Her forced cheerfulness broke and the fear underneath quickly replaced it. "I will not have my blood be a worthless shitstain on society anymore." He moved around the table, grabbing Avery from his chair and tossing him through the open doorway into the den. Avery landed with a thud against the floor, his shoulder aching as it took the brunt of fall. His father loomed over him, his shadow engulfing Avery. "Don't think I don't know what you are. Your mother has been trying to hide it for a long time, but it ends here." His fist met with Avery's face, his next meeting Avery's arm as he tried to defend himself. In the background, Avery's mother watched, still and unmoving, in broken heartache as her son was beaten before her.

"I won't have a—"

* * *

"—fucking faggot we have as an Overboss. Heard he slept with Mason first night he was here in exchange for the first park."

"Damn, Nisha should have sent me if she knew he was a cocksucker. I'd have gotten us every park, not just one!" Laughter erupted from a table by the fountain, two raiders talking loudly as Avery and Gage walked past. Avery stopped in his tracks, his blood suddenly burning in his veins. His hand grabbed at the knife stuck in his messenger bag as he let out a deep, shaky breath.

"Ah, Boss, don't pay them fuckers no mind. They're not better than super mutants in regards to brains…" Gage said, his tone not fully recognizing the turmoil going through Avery's mind. Gage reached to pat Avery on the shoulder but Avery had already begun to walk over to the raiders, his hand still grasping at the knife on his bag. The two kept at their antics, their vulgarity continuing with no stops.

Gage watched as Avery unsheathed the knife as he came closer to the pair, watched as he raised it quickly, and then ran to stop him as Avery plunged the knife deep into the closest raider's chest. Avery twisted the knife before pulling it out to stab at the raider again and again. The raider's cries and Avery's low, berzerk mutterings replaced the laughter that filled the air just moments ago.

"You're nothing to me! You're nothing more than a coward! A disgusting, worthless, coward!" Avery said to himself as the knife continued to desecrate the raider's flesh. Hot tears raced down his face and mixed with the blood that was pooling around him. Hatred was all he could feel, deep and rooted from years of abuse. No one knew but him and his mother, and no one ever tried to stop it from happening. "I won't… I'm not…"

"When I said 'probably need to play safe on how we interact,' this is exactly what I fuckin' meant, Boss!" The sound of Gage's voice and the rough touch of his hand trying to pull Avery off of the raider brought Avery out of his rage.

Fuck, not again.

"They had to know their fucking place!" Avery quickly shouted as he threw Gage's hold off of him. Showing weakness, no matter what caused it, wouldn't be a smart move. Not here in a park full of psychopaths, cheats, and murderers. Avery stood straight up, pushing past Gage, and pointed the dripping knife in his hand at the other raider. "You tell Nisha I will have a word with her later about this, but for now make this excruciatingly clear: I will not be regarded with such lack of respect again, from anyone, else their blood will be my paint and this knife the brush." The raider nodded frantically before running off, leaving his partner now quiet, dead, against the pavement.

"Boss, what the FUCK was that?! You can't just kill someone for an insult; shit like that can cause ripples in the integrity—"

"Gage, shut up." Cold as steel and as sharp as a blade the words came out. Avery turned to Gage, his knife going back into its sheath. "Your advice will always be just that: advice. Ultimately, I will do what I think is right, whether that goes against or with your advice is irrelevant. And right about fucking now, I have a very distinct feeling that you're not going to like what I'm about to do in the slightest."

* * *

 **Author's** **Notes** **:** It's been a while, hasn't it? Well, here we are again. Let's try to get this show on the road for my two favorite raider boys, Gage and Mason. Chapter 7: Witness Me will be out soon.


	7. Chapter 7: Witness Me

Standing before the Parlor, Avery breathed deep. This was a risky plan to ensure his position as Overboss, and he knew that. On one hand, if this succeeded there would be almost no opposition to his authority for the foreseeable future; but, on the other, he could wind up dead by nightfall. Avery would need to play the cards just right, bluff out the stronger hands with intimidation and under the table deals, and maybe break a few bones to make this work.

"What a pleasure to see you so soon, Overboss," the Operator at the door said, his speech mildly slurred from the bottle of alcohol perched on the seat next to him. Avery simply nodded back at the raider as he moved to open the door to the Parlor. "Enjoy your stay, we've got everything you could want." A mischievous tone laced the raiders words, his eyes glinting from the implications.

"Gage," Avery said, his voice commanding, not looking back as he walked into the Parlor.

"Got it, Boss." Gage, rifle in hand, butted the raider in the chest with the stock. The raider fell into his chair, the bottle falling over and shattering on the pavement. Gage grabbed him by his moth-ridden collar before speaking. "Boss ain't got time for your shit. Whatever you know, shove it, before we shove you in a shallow grave in deathclaw territory." The Operator slurred out an agreement, Gage letting go of his collar before walking in after Avery.

Avery had already moved into the main room, Mags and William in front of him, expressionless as always. He took a quick look over his shoulder and signaled Gage to follow into the back room. The siblings moved in first, Avery standing at the entrance. "Make sure no one thinks they can eavesdrop. If they think they can…" A single movement across the throat was all that Gage needed to know what Avery meant, grunting in response. Avery turned and moved into the back room, the door closing behind him.

"If you think any of our men spread that rumor, I can't assure you anything," Mags neutrally began. "Although, I could find out for you if you wanted. Lizzie has been working on something that could make anyone talk. We could also offer you William."

"We did not agree to that!" William hissed, glaring daggers into Mag's back from his position against the wall. "We agreed that we would find—" Avery raised his hand to silence William.

"Not what I'm after," Avery said, his eyes catching Lizzie's. Her appearance wasn't as polished as either Mags or William, but it was far more than any of the other Operators. "I'd like to make a deal with you."

William stepped forward off the wall and between his sister and Avery, his normally hard tone replaced by one of mild curiosity. "What is it that you're after and what's in it for us?"

"Is it the Galaxy Zone?" Mags followed up, the smallest undertone of excitement in her question. "Do you want us to spread a rumor of our own?"

"Perhaps that Mason made it up to disrupt your authority?"

"You're right on one count, but this is a deal with Lizzie," Avery said, opening up his messenger bag and pulling out a simple dog collar and various electronic parts, placing them on the table. The siblings looked at the assortment of junk with confusion, Lizzie analyzing the things trying to make connections but finding nothing. "I need this collar modified so only I can unlock it. I have ideas on how to do it, but I don't have the time to experiment right now."

"That's what you want from me?" Lizzie asked, her eyes showing the confusion she still had. Avery nodded, Lizzie turning back to the mess of parts. After a moment of silence, Lizzie shrugged, unable to come up with a reason for the request. "If you share with me what you have in mind, I can probably fix it up. It's not making drugs, but throw enough things together and you'll get whatever you want… Eventually."

William stepped aside as Mags pushed past him. "You want a personal dog collar in exchange for the Galaxy Zone? That's what you want?" Her voice was strained, trying to understand what game Avery was playing. Avery raised his eyebrows, a small smirk forming.

"Of course that's what I want."

"There's a catch," William said, his tone showing his suspicions.

"There always is one, has to be" Mags continued.

Avery walked around the table, his hands coming to rest on Lizzie's shoulders. He peeked over her shoulder and towards the table, the smirk still adorning his face. "Lizzie? Do you think there's something else I want?" Lizzie shuddered as Avery gave off a chilling aura, his voice low and ready to pounce on her answer.

"A collar only you can unlock… You want… Submission? Subordination?" Lizzie sounded unsure. Mags and William exchanged glances as Avery moved back around towards the doorway, turning to face the three.

"I'll be back in an hour," Avery said, eyes closed and a smile across his face. From his bag, he produced a rough collection of papers with drawings and instructions written on them just moments before coming in. "I expect you can make do with my lack of knowledge on this type of thing." Lizzie grabbed the papers, shuffling through them before looking up at Avery, surprise in her features.

"These are…"

"No need to say anything, I know they're not the best," Avery moved to open the door, Gage moving out of the way as he turned to meet Avery. "Again, an hour is all you've got." With a wave of his hand, Avery left the three behind to come to terms with the deal they had just made. Mags and William moved to look over the papers as Avery vanished out the entrance.

"The fuck are these? The Overboss made it seem like he wasn't good at this shit?" William said, his hand pointing out the details of the drawings. Mags read over the instructions, her tongue clicking in annoyance. She could follow these instructions as they were written down to the tee.

"He didn't need us to do this, but he's making us do it anyways. He played us."

"I… Who the fuck is he? Who the fuck do we have in charge of us right now?" Lizzie questioned.

"Someone we shouldn't be crossing right now," William answered.

"Just get it done. We don't need to worry about who he is, but what he's capable of," Mags said, moving out into the main room. "Gather up Operators, I've got something to announce…"

* * *

The doors of Fizztop Mountain burst open with a clang before a single shot was fired into the air, the echo ringing out throughout the building. Nisha and Savoy leapt from their positions, their hands going towards their weapons. Neither let up their guard when the voice of the Overboss yelled out into the darkness.

"Alright fuckers, let's get this over with quickly. Nisha! Show yourself!" Avery walked into the building a bit more, his arm still raised to the sky with a pistol in hand. Nisha came out of the shadows of the barely lit room, her blade firmly grasped in her hand and her words as sharp as the edge.

"You dare come into my domain and act like you have a death wish after killing one of my men in cold blood. You're lucky none of my men shot you without a second thought, and especially lucky I wasn't the closest one. I would have gutted you like a radstag—" Avery rushed Nisha, throwing her off her balance and onto the ground. His foot connected with the her armed hand and he pointed the barrel of his gun down at her head.

"I think you forget that although you may call this your domain, it is mine first," Avery said with a harshness. With a small glance to break eye contact, Avery aimed the gun off to his right. "Drop it." Nisha looked over to see Savoy pointing a rifle at Avery, Gage just off to the side with his own raised at Savoy. Savoy lowered the gun hesitantly, letting out a low growl as he did. Nisha took this opportunity to try and knock Avery over from below, her thigh trying to connect with the ankle not holding her down. Within moments of her movement, Avery bent down to his knees, putting more weight on her hand and stopping her attempt. "You think I don't know about that move, Nisha?" His voice was dripping with venom, his face hidden by shadows. Nisha spat upwards.

"What are you trying to prove to me? That you want to die by my hands?"

"I'm not proving anything to you, but to them," Avery said this as he scanned over to the side. The now growing crowd of Disciples was talking in hushed voices. Nisha could hear them trying to understand what was going on, not being able to help to hear them questioning why she or Savoy weren't duking it out with the Overboss.

"It's not like her to just lie down and quit."

"What can you do when you already got your ass handed to you before?"

"That explains her, but what about Savoy? Savoy doesn't listen to anyone but Nisha."

"Savoy knows the Overboss is stronger than him."

"All of you quit your fucking chatter!" Nisha roared out, her anger reaching a breaking point. "Savoy, shoot him!" Savoy raised the rifle and began to aim, faltering as he watched Avery's movements.

"If you do that Savoy," Avery started, pushing the barrel of the pistol into Nisha's forehead, "she'll die here with me. A dead man can still pull a trigger."

"Shoot him, Savoy! That's an order!" Nisha yelled. Savoy wouldn't disregard her. He had always been loyal to her. Her life was one of many and Savoy could easily take her place. "What are you waiting for? Shoot!"

The shot never came. Nisha watched as he lowered his gun to the ground, his finger edging off the trigger, in utter disbelief. She still couldn't see what expression Avery was making, but she could feel the devilish smile creeping across his face. "I think I've proven what I needed." Avery removed his weight from Nisha, standing over her. "That raider I killed earlier, that wasn't in cold blood. He deserved everything he got." Avery said all of this with a cold, distant tone. "I expect all of your underlings to know what happened here by tomorrow, not that you'll have to say anything; they'll find out one way or another."

Avery moved to leave but stopped just at the doorway. He turned to face Savoy who had rushed over to help Nisha off the ground. "Savoy?" Avery pointed the gun at him with one hand, pulling the trigger back. A click sounded out. "Mag' was empty after the first shot. Thing's rigged to not lock when it's empty." The gun clattered to the floor as Avery dropped it and walked out of Fizztop Mountain. Gage stared at Nisha and Savoy, one hand on his rifle and one on the door.

"Mine wasn't empty, just so ya know."

"Get out of my sight, Gage," Nisha growled out, the knife in her hand hurtling towards him. The door closed and the knife clanged off it, rattling on the ground next to the empty gun.

Outside, Avery was already nearing the fountain, Pip-Pad in hand. Gage caught up, taking to making sure that the Disciples didn't decide to come out guns blazing after them. "That wouldn't have been possible without that tipoff about Savoy, Gage. Thanks for that," Avery said without looking back. He sounded impressed, and a bit relieved.

"Ain't nothing, Boss. Just lookin' out for ya since you ain't lookin' after yourself right now," Gage said, his words a bit clambered from the praise. Avery turned back, his face showing a bit of confusion.

"I am looking after myself, just not conventionally."

"If you think threatening a gang leader and their men on their turf is 'looking after myself,' you're more batshit crazy than Nisha, Boss," Gage said this with a bit of a laugh, a small smile forming. "It been an hour yet? I don't think I can wait much longer to know what you're gonna do with that collar…" Avery chuckled at the last part, turning to walk away.

"You won't be disappointed, Gage. I can't wait much longer either."

* * *

Avery spun the collar in his hands, checking over the bits and pieces. He inserted the key into the lock, the collar popping open with a satisfying click. "Just as I wanted and more! Lizzie, you've outdone yourself!" Lizzie looked at Avery with mock excitement. It's not like he had left instructions a child could follow on building the damn thing. "Now to add the finishing touches and it'll be ready for use…"

"Overboss, if I may ask," Mags began, "this collar is far too big for a dog. Who exactly are you looking to use this on?"

"Who? Don't you mean 'what'?"

"I know what I said."

"I think it's obvious!" Avery said, his face a complete display of joy. "William, of course!" William choked on the drink he had, staggering away as Avery moved to fake putting the collar on him. "Oh come on! Lizzie worked so hard on this, won't you at least try it on?"

"Overboss, please stop fooling around," William said dejectedly.

"You heard the Overboss, William; try it on."

"Not you too, Mags!"

* * *

The Bradberton Amphitheater smelled just like Avery remembered it: like shit. At least he wouldn't be here very long and he knew Gage was suffering beside him, too. The sounds of snarling animals and cheering Pack members echoed off the buildings surrounding the theater. Mason sat beyond the caged arena, watching with mild enthusiasm as animals bit and tore flesh from each other. From his seat, he caught sight of the Overboss and gave a signal to the nearby raider to quiet the fight down. Within a few moments, the fight and cheers ceased and were replaced by the low grunts and murmurs of the Pack members observing Avery and Gage walk over to Mason.

"Overboss! What a surprise to see you so soon after our last meeting," Mason said, standing before Avery and Gage his arms raised above his head in open greeting. Avery made no movement to glance upwards, Gage looking up to catch Mason's gaze.

"Boss ain't gonna look up." Mason looked over to the Overboss before moving to step off his throne's platform. Although this time around there was no bat, Mason didn't want to have himself forcibly on his knees for what would be the third time.

"My bad, Overboss. I forgot that little fact from our last talk—"

"Kneel," Avery commanded, his voice just loud enough for Mason to hear. Mason questioned who the Overboss was directing that towards.

"Kneel…?"

"Must I repeat myself, Mason?" Avery placed his hand onto Mason's left shoulder while Gage placed his on the right. "You will kneel!" The two of them pushed down on Mason, forcing him down onto his knees. Mason tried to resist, but the two continued to hold him down. Avery moved to whisper into Mason's ear.

"Bad dogs who resist me don't get rewarded."

Mason's struggle ended soon after, the words like daggers to his resolve. Avery's other hand came to pat gently against Mason's right cheek. "Now that's the good boy I know. How about I reward your little trick?" Opening his messenger bag, Avery pulled out the collar, a tag now dangling from the hook on the front. Mason caught sight of it too late as Avery quickly placed it around his neck, clicking it into place and locking it in one movement. The bone necklace that normally adorned Mason's neck was pulled off and thrown aside. "Now, don't think about taking this off. I'll be very mad if you do, my puppy."

Mason grabbed at the collar, trying to pull it off but to no avail. "The fuck did you just do to me?!" Avery paid Mason no mind, turning back to the crowd of Pack members now loudly whispering about what was going on. Gage moved in between Mason and Avery, blocking Mason from trying to get to him.

"I wouldn't do anythin' to Boss with that on," Gage stated plainly. "Thing is rigged to blow just like them slaves out there." Mason tried to stand up, but Gage stopped him. "Wouldn't do that either, but that's just advice."

"Pack members! I ask for your attention for just a moment of your time!" Avery called out, his arms raised openly in mock invitation and his voice imitating that of a carnival ring leader. "I ask that you witness me here today, witness the beast that I call my own! Look, right here, is your Alpha!" Avery and Gage moved out of the way to display Mason, kneeling with a dog collar around his neck. The Pack let out a mighty roar at the scene, some laughing, some loudly questioning what was going on, some even going about to throw some indecent comments Mason's way. "But, hold your comments until the end! I am not done just yet!" Avery circled behind Mason, his hands coming to hold Mason's jaw and present his face to the crowd. "This man is your Alpha, collar or not! All of you are but measly mutts to his strength!" The raiders began to boo, their emotions held in Avery's hands. Mason watched in slight awe as Avery led the raiders on.

"Your Alpha! He is not weak! Quite the contrary, he is my strongest beast yet!" Avery raised Mason's arms to gesture him flexing. "Look at these! Do you think this creature weak from this display? No, it is not that he is weak, but that I am stronger!" Releasing Mason's arms, Avery raised his own to the sky. The Pack gave a mixed response as the uncanny effect of the performance was beginning to wear off. Gage fired off two shots into the air and the raiders fell silent.

"Alright, Boss, let's wrap this up," Gage said, his voice stoic as he played his part in all this. Avery groaned in response, moving to stand in front of Mason with his stance shifting into that of a commander. Avery's face relaxed into a stern expression, his tone sharpening.

"You may have an Alpha, an Alpha that is by far a strong individual both in raw strength and experience. However, there is someone above that Alpha, someone far more capable of ensuring that your goals are met: the Omega. And that Omega... is me. Follow my command and those parks out there will be yours." Some Pack members let out a cheer at the mention of parks. "I have already claimed one park as our own, one more than Colter ever was possible of. Soon enough they will all belong to us, and you will have your due share." The crowd began to increase in volume, some yelling out what they wanted. Among many things, they had fallen for the bait of being promised rewards.

They truly were just like animals.

"Now! Get out of my sight, I need a moment with your Alpha. Go!" Avery said, his voice commanding them along with daring any of them to disobey him. The crowd dispersed leaving just him, Mason, and Gage. "Gage, head on back to the grille."

"Be a good boy, Mason," Gage mocked as he walked away. A low growl came in response from Mason. Avery placed his hand against Mason's cheek causing Mason to look up, still in a kneeling position.

"I hope this doesn't cause you any problems," Avery whispered gently.

"Oh I've already got plenty, one of them being this fucking explosive collar you've got on me," Mason said, his voice low and deep. Avery looked surprised, his brow furrowing.

"Explosive? It's not explosive. It's just a reinforced collar."

"Gage said it—" Mason was cut off as Avery laughed. "That fucking piece of shit lied to me!"

"That he did," Avery said after his laughter settled down. "Now what other problems do you have? Let's see what I can do for my puppy while I'm here."

"I'm not fucking your puppy, and you better expect you're gonna fucking pay for this."

"Well, first of all, yes you are; it's right here on the tag," Avery said this, holding the tag up for him to read it. "Property of Avery Lestein; Name: Mason; If found, please return to Nuka-World Fizztop Grille, Massachusetts." Mason angrily opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by a smack across the face. "I didn't say you could speak. Secondly, I don't expect you to do anything." Avery left a distinct silence after, signaling Mason he could speak.

"And why is that, Overboss?" Mason growled out.

"Because bad dogs who resist me don't get rewarded and despite your act… You've accepted me as your master, haven't you, puppy?" Avery's tone was still soft. He reached down and grabbed Mason's crotch, detailing the obvious erection and giving it a light tug. Mason let out a small sigh, looking down towards Avery's hand. "Just as I thought." Avery let go and lifted Mason's head to face him, a whimper coming from Mason as Avery brought about a chill down his spine.

"You know you're my good little boy, don't you?"

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Chapter 8: Chance Encounter will be an AO3 exclusive as this site doesn't approve of my antics. You can find the fic under the same name as this one. Chapter 9: The Bad, the Ugly, and the Cowboys, will be out soon after that one is out.


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